Brush holder



p 5, 1964 J. DGETLUCK 3,148,767

BRUSH HOLDER Filed Oct. 24, 1962 J Q INVENTOR. da figi um gyezlwiu M 56 BY if? rr-y:

United States Patent() This invention relates to a brush-holding support and more especially to a holder for paint brushes.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide I a supporting structure which will hold the brush with the bristles tapered from butt to tip; to provide a supporting structure which will permit manual movement of the brush to expose the tip for inspection and yet is resistant to displacement of the brush therein during shipping or handling which might result in damage to the bristles; to provide a supporting structure from which the brush may be easily removed without damage to the holder itself, so that the latter may be used repeatedly to store the brush after each use and cleaning; and to provide structure which is durable, inexpensive to manufacture and will attord an attractive display of the brush.

As herein illustrated, the structure has spaced pairs of opposed walls which collectively form a tubular portion of substantially rectangular section for receiving the bristles of a brush. The tubular portion has a part hinged thereto for angular movement toward one wall to provide a tapering passage lengthwise thereof, and there is means operatively associated with the movable part to hold it inclined with respect to the one wall. The holding means is hinged to the structure adjacent the distal end of the movable part and is operative, by angular movement, to displace the movable part toward the opposite wall. latch is hinged to the brace and is operative, by engagement with the structure, to hold the brace and hence the movable part at the desired inclination to the opposite wall, to provide the taper desired. The movable part may be one of the walls of the tubular portion or a portion of one of the walls hinged thereto.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is apian view of the holder with a brushsupported therein;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the holder with the brush removed;

FIG. 3.is a plan view of the back side of the holder;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of the holder, showing the brush supported therein in its normal position and in a'position for inspection;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section showing the movable part retracted to permit removal of the brush and with the brush removed;

FIG. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 2; a a

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the card blank to which the 7 pocket is attached; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view ofthe brace, latch, pull tab and attaching means therefor.

Referring to the drawings (FIGS. '1 to 6), the structure has an elongate tubular portion 1% of substantially recis attached a U-shaped open-ended pocket. 16 having spaced parallel walls 18-18 parallel to the edges of the card 14 and a transverse wall 20 connected to the walls 1818 in spaced relation to the face of the card 14. Attachment of the walls 1818 to the card 14 is pro- 7 3,148,767 Patented Sept. 15, 1964 vided for by flanges 2222 at the lower edges of the walls 18-18, disposed at right angles thereto for engagernent with the face of the card 14. Adhesive or stapies may be employed for fastening the flanges and hence the pocket member 16 to the card 14. The transverse wall 20, the portion of the card 14 opposite it, and the two walls 18-18 collectively form the tubular portion It I As illustrated, the entire pocket 16 is comprised of a transparent sheet material preformed for application to the card 14 and, in the preferred form, is provided at ,its opposite ends with transversely extendingreinforcing ribs 24-24.

In accordance with the invention (FIGS. 4 and 5), the transverse wall 2t) slopes toward the card 14 at an angle which corresponds substantially to one-half of the taper of the brush which is to be mounted in the holder. That portion of the card 14 opposite the transverse wall 20 contains a part 26 which is cut out of the card 14 along three sides and is connected thereto along the fourth side by ahinge 28 which extends transversely of the card so that the part 26 may be moved upwardly from the face of the card toward the transverse wall 20.- A brace 39 is secured to the back of the card 14 by apart 31 to which the brace 30 is connected by a hinge 32. The part 31 is fastened to the card 14 (FIG. 3), so that the hinge 32 coincides substantially with the forward edge of the opening containing the movable part 26. The distal end of the brace 39 underlies the movable part 26 (FIG. 5). The brace 30 is thus operative, by angular movement about its hinge 32, to displacethe part 26 from the card 14 toward the transverse wall 20, and there is a latch 34 connected by a hinge 36 to the distal end of the brace 36 operable to move the brace toa position in which the part 26 is inclined at an angle to the card 14, corresponding to substantially one-half of the taper of the brush and to hold it in this position. To secure the latch 34 in place, the latter has at its distal end a tongue 38 which is engageable with a slot 39 in the card 14, coinciding with the hinge 28 of the movable part 26. The slot 39 may have aforwardly projecting tongue 41 for interengagement with the tongue 38. A pull 40 is hinged to the end of the latch to facilitate dise'ngagingthe tongue 38 from the slot 40 and tongue 41. The wall 20 and part 26 incline toward each other at substantially the same angle and are thus symmetrically located with respect to a longitudinal median plane.

4 The brush is thrust into the tubular portion 10 from the right-hand .end as shown in FIG. 5, handlefirst, to

a-position in which theends of the bristles 7r coincide substantially with the right end of the pocket 16, and

the backof the-brush extends rearwardly of the pocket (FIG. .4), whereupon the part 26 is raised by pushing the brace 31} upwardly and setting the tongue 38; at the end of the latch 34, into the slot .39 above the tongue 41. To prevent rear-ward movement ofthe brush the card has a narrow retaining panel 44 connected trans- "versely thereto by a hinge 46 which contains anopening 48 through which the handle of the brush extends and a retaining panel 50 connected by ahinge 52 to the retaining panel 44, adapted to have engagement with the upper .side .of the brush and to be held engaged therewith by contact of a forwardly-extending tab 54 with the upper sideof the handle. 7

. Forward movement of the brush is permitted to a limited extent by compaction ,of the bristles so thatthe forward end of the brush may be exposed to the extent shown vin dotted lines (FIG. 4), to permit inspection, butnot so the part 26 may be restored to the plane of the card 14 (FIG. 5 ),thus atiording sufficient clearance between the card 14 and the transverse Wall 20 to permit the back of the brush to be thrust forwardly through the pocket for removal.

A hang-hole 56 is provided in the forward end of the card 14 by means of which the structure may be suspended.

FIG. 7 shows a blank a cut and scored to provide the movable part 26 and the retaining panels 44 and 50.

FIG. 8 shows a blank 17 cut andscored to provide the brace 30, latch 34, pull tab 40 and attaching element 31.

Although theblanks a and b are illustrated as separate pieces they may be made integral. The hinges connecting the movable parts may be made in any suitable fashion such as by scoring, embossing or creasing; thus it is evident that the entire structure, except for the pocket, may be made by simple die-cutting operations. The pocket 16 is preformed, as previously stated, with the attaching flanges 22-22 of a transparent or translucent material. for example cellulose acetate, which is of sufiicient gauge and stillness to retain its molded shape.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A brush-holding support having two pairs of spaced opposed walls which collectively form a tubular portion of substantially rectangular section, one of the walls of one pair having a part hingedly connected transversely thereof for movement toward the other wall, and a brace connected to the one wall operative to support the movable part at an angle to the one wall such as to provide, in conjunction with the opposite wall, a passage which tapers lengthwise of the structure.

2. -A brush-holding support having two pairs of spaced opposed walls which collectively form a tubular portion, a panel hinged transversely to one wall of one pair of opposed walls movable about said hinge toward the opposite wall, and means connected to the one wall operative to movethe panel to a position inclined to said one wall at an angle to the other and to hold the panel in said inclined position to provide, in conjunction with the other wall, a passage tapering lengthwise of the structure.

3. A brush-supporting structure having two pairs of spaced opposed walls, one wall of one pair being inclined toward the other, a panel hingedly connected to the other wall on a hinge transversely thereof for movement toward the one wall to an angle of inclination corresponding substantially to the angle of inclination of the one wall with respect to a common median, and means connected to said other wall operative to support the panel at said inclination to form with the one wall a tapering I passage lengthwise of the structure.

4. A brush-supporting structure having two pairs of spaced opposed walls, a panel hinged at one end to one wall for movement toward the opposite wall, a brace hinged at one end to one wall adjacent the distal end of the panel at the outer side thereof operative, by angular movement about its hinge, to displace the panel from the one walltoward the other, and a latch operatively associated with the distal end of the brace and the one wall to hold the brace at an angle to the one wall such that the panel slopes toward said other Wall.

5. A brush-supporting structure having two pairs of spaced opposed walls, a panel hinged at one end to one wall for movement toward the other wall, a brace hinged atone end to one wall adjacent the distal end of the panel at the outer side thereof operative, by angular movement about its hinge, to displace the panel from the one wall toward the other, a latch hingedly connected at one end to the distal end of the brace, and means at the distal end of the latch, engageable with the one wall, to hold the brace inclined to the one wall at an angle such that t the panel and opposed wall provide a passage lengthwise of the structure which tapers.

6. A brush-supporting structure comprising a flat supporting element, an open-ended pocket applied to one side of the supporting element transversely thereof, said pocket having transversely spaced walls substantially perpendicular to the supporting element and a transverse wall connecting them and forming with the portion of the supporting element opposite it a tubular passage lengthwise of the supporting element, a panel hingedly connected to the supporting element opposite the transverse wall for movement toward the transverse wall, and means for supporting the panel at an angle to said transverse wall such that the passagetapers from one end to the other.

7. A brush-supporting structure comprising a flat elongate card, an open-ended pocket applied to one side of the card having transversely spaced walls parallel to the sides of the card and perpendicular to its face, and a transverse wall connected to the spaced walls in spaced relation to the card, said transverse wall being inclined lengthwisetoward the card, a panel connected to the card opposite the transverse wall for movement toward the transverse wall, and means for holding the panel at an angle of inclination from the card corresponding to the angle of inclination of the transverse wall toward the card.

8. A brush-supporting structure according to claim 7,

wherein the tubular portion has reinforcing ribs at its tively associated with the movable wall to hold it inclined with respect to the other Wall of said pair, said support having parts extending forwardly and rearwardly of the movable wall of the tubular portion, and means associated 'with the rearwardly extending portion, engageable with the back of the brush, to prevent rearward movement from the tubular portion.

10. A brush-holding support having spaced pairs of opposed walls providing a tubular portion of substantially .rectangularsection, one of the walls of one pair being movable toward the other of the walls of that pair to provide a tapering passage therebetween, and means operatively associated with the movable wall to hold it inclined with respect to theother wall of said pair, said support having portions extending forwardly and rearwardly of themovable wall and hinged portions, one of which extends upwardly adjacent the back of the brush and contains an opening through which the handle extends, 'and the other of which has contact with the upper side of the brush.

11. A brush-holding support having spaced pairs of opposed walls providing a tubular receptacle of substantially rectangular cross-section, said tubular receptacle havinglongitudinally thereof a first portion in which each pair of opposed walls are parallel and a second portion in which the opposed Walls of one pair of walls are par- .allel and the opposed walls of the other pair are inclined toward each other substantially symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal median, one of said inclined walls being movable relative to the other from its inclined position to a coplanarposition with the corresponding wall of the first portion, and means operative to hold said one wall at said inclined position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,496,346 Lindmark June 3, 1924 1,934,316 Loomis Nov. 7, 1933 2,763,367 Schumann Sept. 18, 1956 2,841,273 Scott July 1, 1958 

1. A BRUSH-HOLDING SUPPORT HAVING TWO PAIRS OF SPACED OPPOSED WALLS WHICH COLLECTIVELY FORM A TUBULAR PORTION OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR SECTION, ONE OF THE WALLS OF ONE PAIR HAVING A PART HINGEDLY CONNECTED TRANSVERSELY THEREOF FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD THE OTHER WALL, AND A BRACE CONNECTED TO THE ONE WALL OPERATIVE TO SUPPORT THE MOVABLE PART AT AN ANGLE TO THE ONE WALL SUCH AS TO PROVIDE, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE OPPOSITE WALL, A PASSAGE WHICH TAPERS LENGTHWISE OF THE STRUCTURE. 